Northwest History. State History. Box 218. State History, Sports, Archery, Dog Racing.

smouldered for years.
Vanderveer, somewhat of a
silent partner until 1933, stepped
noisily into the picture that season, and, seconded by Manager
George Burns, attacked Klepper
so vigorously that Klepper resigned as president of the club.
Under the Vanderveer-Burns
regime the Indians did such a nose
dive financially that during the
following winter Pacific Coast
League officers made a trip to the j
Northwest to investigate the situa-
tion, in view of forfeiting the
Seattle franchise.
Klepper weathered that storm, ;
regained control during the win- j
ter, "fired" Burns as manager the
week the season opened in Seattle
and installed Walter (Dutch) Rue-
ther in his place, and Tribal fortunes began t.o mend.
Team Has Made Money
For the last three years Klepper
has been at the helm, as business
manager in 1934 while John E.
Savage was president, and as
president in full command during
the '35 and '36 seasons.
During those three seasons the
Indians have been a pennant contender and a money maker.
Besides paying all bills the Indians retired some $20,000 in past
indebtedness during the 1936 season and, though still in debt, are
in a financially sound condition
to begin operations in 1937.
"Now that we seem to be on
our way out of debt and in a
position to pay dividends again,
Vanderveer wants control,"
Klepper commented last night,
when served with the mandamus.
For some time the story has
made the rounds of Seattle sports
circles that Vanderveer was reaching for control of the club, and if
he obtaine'd it, the organization
would be headed by Roscoe C.
(Torchy) Torrance, active leader
in amateur sports and a printing
company executive, and Bill Rankin, private investigator for Vanderveer. Torrance was to be in-
installed as president and Rankin
as secretary. with Vanderveer
the power behind the machine,
though remaining in the background.
Klepper defends his stand in refusing to turn the stock over to
Vanderveer on the grounds that it
was posted to bind an option he
took on the attorney's stock last
spring, and that Vanderveer himself violated the option.
Klepper Claims Deal
"I had a deal on foot to purchase
Vanderveer's stock, finance ant
build a new baseball park of ou
own, and eliminate him and with
him the internal strife that has
disrupted our business organization
and that has handicapped the club
since the old park in Rainier Valley burned in 1932, forcing us to
move to the Civic Stadium," Klepper said.
"Financing the deal hinged on
eliminating Vanderveer from the
directorate and as a heavy stockholder, but before it could be consummated he lunged into the negotiations, wrecking them like a
bull wrecks a china closet.
"I think any court in the world
will uphold me and I will fight
the thing to a finish, now that it
has come into the open."
Klepper, Vanderveer and Savage
each hold large blocks of stock.
One of thsm alone does not hold
enough to wield complete power,
according to books of the organization, but any two can outvote the other.
In recent years Klepper and
Savage have hung together to keep
Vanderveer in the minority.

Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.

smouldered for years.
Vanderveer, somewhat of a
silent partner until 1933, stepped
noisily into the picture that season, and, seconded by Manager
George Burns, attacked Klepper
so vigorously that Klepper resigned as president of the club.
Under the Vanderveer-Burns
regime the Indians did such a nose
dive financially that during the
following winter Pacific Coast
League officers made a trip to the j
Northwest to investigate the situa-
tion, in view of forfeiting the
Seattle franchise.
Klepper weathered that storm, ;
regained control during the win- j
ter, "fired" Burns as manager the
week the season opened in Seattle
and installed Walter (Dutch) Rue-
ther in his place, and Tribal fortunes began t.o mend.
Team Has Made Money
For the last three years Klepper
has been at the helm, as business
manager in 1934 while John E.
Savage was president, and as
president in full command during
the '35 and '36 seasons.
During those three seasons the
Indians have been a pennant contender and a money maker.
Besides paying all bills the Indians retired some $20,000 in past
indebtedness during the 1936 season and, though still in debt, are
in a financially sound condition
to begin operations in 1937.
"Now that we seem to be on
our way out of debt and in a
position to pay dividends again,
Vanderveer wants control,"
Klepper commented last night,
when served with the mandamus.
For some time the story has
made the rounds of Seattle sports
circles that Vanderveer was reaching for control of the club, and if
he obtaine'd it, the organization
would be headed by Roscoe C.
(Torchy) Torrance, active leader
in amateur sports and a printing
company executive, and Bill Rankin, private investigator for Vanderveer. Torrance was to be in-
installed as president and Rankin
as secretary. with Vanderveer
the power behind the machine,
though remaining in the background.
Klepper defends his stand in refusing to turn the stock over to
Vanderveer on the grounds that it
was posted to bind an option he
took on the attorney's stock last
spring, and that Vanderveer himself violated the option.
Klepper Claims Deal
"I had a deal on foot to purchase
Vanderveer's stock, finance ant
build a new baseball park of ou
own, and eliminate him and with
him the internal strife that has
disrupted our business organization
and that has handicapped the club
since the old park in Rainier Valley burned in 1932, forcing us to
move to the Civic Stadium," Klepper said.
"Financing the deal hinged on
eliminating Vanderveer from the
directorate and as a heavy stockholder, but before it could be consummated he lunged into the negotiations, wrecking them like a
bull wrecks a china closet.
"I think any court in the world
will uphold me and I will fight
the thing to a finish, now that it
has come into the open."
Klepper, Vanderveer and Savage
each hold large blocks of stock.
One of thsm alone does not hold
enough to wield complete power,
according to books of the organization, but any two can outvote the other.
In recent years Klepper and
Savage have hung together to keep
Vanderveer in the minority.